Thane: Ex-Central Excise officer gets jail in graft case

Thane: A local court on Friday sentenced a retired Central Excise officer to one year rigorous imprisonment in a 2005 bribery case.

District Judge M M Walimohammed found Ravindra Shete (60), then posted as sub-inspector, guilty of accepting bribe under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and sentenced him to one year jail. He was also convicted under section 13 (1), (d), 13(2) of the Act and sentenced to six months jail. Both the sentences will run concurrently.

Additional Public Prosecutor Hemlata Deshmukh told the court that the accused use to extort money on monthly basis from complainants, owners of a liquor shop in Kalwa area in Thane, while carrying out official checks.

On one occasion, he demanded Rs 15,000 as bribe from Gorakhnath Mhatre and his brother Ramesh and threatened to file a false case against them if they fail to fulfil his demand.

The aggrieved then lodged a complaint with Anti- Corruption Bureau, Thane unit, following which a trap was laid and Shete was arrested while he was taking the bribe at his office on February 9, 2005, from Ramesh, the prosecution said.

After hearing the prosecution and the defence, the court held that the prosecution has proved the case beyond any reasonable doubt, and hence, the accused needs to be convicted and sentenced.